We knew the second we saw Content. that we had to buy it. The day we went house shopping, with our realtor Jennifer, was the hottest, most humid day of the summer. And I admit, by the end of the grueling day, we were probably dehydrated and delirious, but nevertheless Content. was a beautiful, quenching spring in a desert of highly priced, badly renovated homes.

But even with all that initial rose colored glory fogging my reality, its was hard to picture some of the rooms in any other light than the way I'd first met them. Specifically, I fell in love with Content. and quickly developed a strong, deep seeded hatred for the kitchen.

Based on an design article I read explaining how the color red brings out aggression and hostile emotions, I blame this hatred fully on the red, painted fireplace sitting smack dab in the middle of the room.

Why would someone paint beautiful, century old brick fire engine red? What was that odd, triangle stainless steel corner piece, and why on earth did it require power? Why couldn't you have installed the hardwood first and then installed the cabinets?

There were so many unanswered kitchen mysteries adding to my loathing and the only answer I could find was to jumped right in, and demo the whole damn thing. But even with all that red hatred coursing through me, I started to get sentimental. It's interesting to imagine what the prior tenants, who I assume put lots of thought and money in to its original construction, would have thought of us swinging sledge hammers without abandon, mocking their color choices and hacksawing the crap out of their once enjoyed kitchen. Did their kids learn to crawl on these floors? How many wonderful Thanksgiving dinners were prepared here?

I felt bad, but nevertheless, the old, dirty country cabinets were removed, along with the oddly shaped stainless steel corner piece that we still can't identify and we turn a page in our own book.

Ironically, as you'll see in these pictures, the fireplace is still there, and it's still very red. Apparently removing paint from brick requires taking a leave of absence from your job,dedicating a solid month to the project and a prescription for Valium. Ever heard of soy gel, yeah, me neither.

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